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When it comes to career development, supply chain managers have to execute a bit of jiu jitsu. They’re charged with nding and developing the next generation of talent while simultaneously advancing their own careers in a eld that is often overlooked by senior management. The biggest challenge of all is getting their agenda in front of the Board at a time when supply chain operations are more critical than ever to an organization’s success, but still largely invisible compared to sales, marketing, and product development. Remember: It’s your career—and your supply chain. We hope this month’s issue will help you make the most of both.

No one has to tell you about the market forces weighing on distributors: from high expectations of the purchase experience to direct-from-manufacturer purchasing to rapidly changing demographics.
Read this whitepaper to uncover the perceptions and behaviors driving the changes, and gain insight into how you can leverage them into greater differentiation and growth.

Collaboration isn't a new concept. What is new is how we collaborate. Innovative technologies such as social collaboration platforms, mobility applications and intelligent analytics and dashboards have become much more prominent within the supply chain. During this webcast we'll explore how combining these innovations with end-to-end supply chain visibility creates a prime opportunity to maximize your manufacturing Supply Chain IQ, enabling you to make better decisions and execute those decisions more quickly and profitably.

Supply Chain Productivity Top of Mind at APICS Conference

Getting out of the office to attend an industry event offers a great opportunity to find out what’s on the minds of supply chain professionals and what subjects they are interested in.

The annual APICS conference that took place in Pittsburgh last week was no exception. This has to be one of the most enthusiastic groups of professionals I’ve ever come across. They are dedicated to learning as much as they can from the conference experience, as evidenced by the fact that the educational sessions were all packed—from the early bird workshops at 8 AM to the late afternoon slots. (OK, so it’s tough to sneak out to the golf course in Pittsburgh in late October.)

Pressed to pick one recurring vibe at this year’s APICS event, I would point to the attendees’ interest in figuring out how to maximize their productivity—both personally and within their department or company—albeit with limited resources.

One of the often-overlooked, though high-potential ways, to increase productivity is by reducing unnecessarily complexity in products and processes. That was the well-received message from speakers Robert Trent of Lehigh University and scmr.com blogger Robert Rudzki of Greybeard Advisors in their session. The speakers related how unnecessary complexity (unnecessary is the operative word here as not all complexity is necessarily bad, they asserted) invariably drives up costs and destroys productivity. They provided a list of actions they can take to reduce or eliminate complexity in their organizations.

A big crowd turned out to hear Lisa Hershman talk about “results-focused” management. Hershman, co-author of the book Faster, Cheaper, Better, emphasized that when the customer is made the focal point of your business and supply chain strategy, you almost automatically end up pursuing meaningful activities that bring positive results. (The corollary is that you eliminate the non-productive tasks that mainly consume time and resources.)

One last impression from this year’s meeting was the sense of optimism that pervaded the event. Not wild happy-days-are-here-again enthusiasm, mind you, but rather a solid confidence that the economy is back on solid footing and finally ready to build some momentum. That alone was worth the trip to Steelers country.

About the Author

Francis J. QuinnEditorial Director

Frank Quinn is the editorial director of Supply Chain Management Review, considered the premier publication for supply chain executives. Frank was the founding editor SCMR and has overseen its growth over the past 14 years. He has been covering the logistics/supply chain scene in various editorial and consulting positions for more than three decade. Frank is co-author of the recently published book Diagnosing Greatness: Ten Traits of the Best Supply Chains. You can reach him directly at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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